>Edit: Or did you mean to say that dumping it in the skin might be better ('a good thing') compared to spreading throughout the body? Your interpretation is co

>Edit: Or did you mean to say that dumping it in the skin might be better ('a good thing') compared to spreading throughout the body? Your interpretation is correct. I'm with you: all else equal, I'd prefer to be exposed to no extra ionizing radiation. I was just pointing out that many of the health arguments seem like motivated cognition to me, and showing how one can be reversed. >Unless someone works with radiation, I cannot imagine how anyone's skin is constantly bombarded by these types of particles. I meant that our skin is constantly bombarded by ionizing radiation, not necessarily that it's constantly bombarded by alpha and beta particles. I'm not sure how much alpha or beta dose the average person gets. While the particles themselves don't travel far, they can be formed in many ways. As klodolph has said, radioactive decay is one source. Alpha and beta emitters show up in some surprising places: smoke detectors, anti-static coatings, and emergency lighting systems.